The Lordly Tailor Incident
by Hikari Kaitou
Summary: Phoenix runs into Edgeworth while pajama shopping. PxE


**A/N: **My second attempt at PW, and I think I did a bit better with the characterization this time. Though I'm still a bit worried they turned out too sugary… Anyway, this was also done for the kink meme.

The prompt was this: Anon thinks it's uberfun to tag along with your love interest when they go shopping (grocery or otherwise) 3 Wants to see either Phoenix/Edgeworth or Klavier/Apollo.

Short, simple and to the point. Here we go!

* * *

Phoenix sighed contentedly as he set his fork down on this plate with a gentle chink. It felt good to be full on high-quality food for once. Normally, it was all fast food (Maya's choice) or easy meals like frozen pizza or instant noodles (his meager income's choice). Naturally when Adrian Andrews had called them up an invited them to dine with her at Lordly Tailor's restaurant that evening at her expense, Phoenix, Maya and Pearl had all jumped at the opportunity. Phoenix still kind of felt bad for it; even though eating at such a classy restaurant had been Adrian's idea, he still felt like he was taking advantage of her by making her pay, but she had insisted.

"Compared to what you did for me by helping me turn my life around, a few dinners is nothing," Adrian had said firmly. "Besides, I followed that case you finished yesterday on the news and after that I'm sure you could use a break."

Phoenix couldn't deny that; his last case had been an absolute nightmare. With Maya cheering loudly at his side and Pearl smiling at him hopefully, he hadn't been able to say no, regardless of the twinge he felt in his conscience. But now he was glad that he came. The food had been first class, the atmosphere was pleasant and the conversation had been light and cheerful, the perfect way to unwind after a particularly nasty case.

"Ah, that was great!" Maya chirped. "I'm so full!"

"All three of your stomachs are satisfied for once?" Phoenix teased. "Wow, that _is_ amazing."

"Mr. Nick!" Pearl gasped, horrified. "What kind of thing is that to say to your special someone?!"

"Yeah, that was terrible, Nick!" Maya huffed indignantly. "Talking about me like I'm a cow or something!"

"Apologize, Mr. Nick!" Pearl demanded, pushing her sleeve back threateningly. "Apologize to Mystic Maya!"

"A-alright, I'm sorry!" Phoenix relented, not wanting to be slapped by an eight-year-old in the middle of the restaurant. "Jeez." _You're the one who told me you had three stomachs in the first place!_

He glanced down at his watch, prompting Maya to lean over to check the time, too.

"Oh wow, it's already 8:00," Maya commented. "That means the Steel Samurai marathon is starting in just half an hour. We'd better get home or we'll miss some."

Phoenix sighed and rolled his eyes. It wasn't like Maya didn't have the entire box set with every single episode of the Steel Samurai ever made. He knew better than to get in the way of her obsession, though. He removed the napkin from his lap.

"Thank you very much for dinner, Ms. Andrews," Phoenix said politely. "It was wonderful."

"Thank you, Ms. Andrews," the Fey girls echoed in unison.

"It was my pleasure," Adrian assured them with a sunny smile. "I hope I'll see you all again soon."

"You know, Nick," Maya began once the three of them were in the elevator, "you seemed kinda out of place in that fancy restaurant."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Phoenix pouted.

"I think it's the way you're dressed," Maya mused, plucking at his blue suit jacket. "This suit is getting kind of ratty."

"Hey!" the defense attorney whined. "My suit never did anything to deserve that!"

"But Mr. Nick," Pearl piped up, "there's a hole in the elbow."

"What?!" Phoenix examined the area Pearl had indicated. She was right; the fabric was so worn there that he could see his white dress shirt through it. "Hmm… maybe it is getting kind of old. I guess I should probably think about getting a new one sometime soon."

"I bet people would respect you more if you were a sharper dresser," Maya smirked. "You could learn a thing or two from Mr. Edgeworth."

Phoenix snorted doubtfully. "Yeah, right. Even if I _did_ want to dress like that, there's no way I could afford it."

"Yeah, guess you're right," Maya agreed, though she was clearly amusing herself with the image of Phoenix dressing like Edgeworth.

The elevator chimed to announce that they had reached the first floor and the doors parted smoothly. Pearl and Maya led the way, while Phoenix lagged behind slightly, worrying about how he was going to afford a new suit. It was true that he had been paid fairly for his performance in court the other day, but there was a whole list of increasingly urgent home repair projects that were demanding his funds, not to mention rent and utilities for his apartment and office. Suits didn't come cheap, after all, though he supposed he could probably find one at Good Will if he really got desperate. Phoenix was jerked out of his musings by the sound of Maya's chipper voice.

"Hey, Nick!" she called. "Look at this! Lordly Tailor is having a drawing to celebrate their 200th anniversary! The grand prize is a $5,000 shopping spree!"

"This is perfect, Mr. Nick!" Pearl trilled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "If you win the drawing, you can have two or three really nice new suits for free!"

"That's true…" Phoenix nodded slowly. "But the chances of me winning that drawing are probably about a thousand to one."

"I'm entering you," Maya decided aloud. "A one-thousand to one chance is better than a zero to one thousand chance. Ooh, maybe you could get an Armani suit! Those things could even make a boulder look dashing."

Phoenix frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"I bet even Mr. Edgeworth would be impressed!" Maya gushed, pointedly ignoring his question as she filled out the entry card.

Phoenix blushed slightly at the thought. Edgeworth did make the occasional pass at his usual outfit. What would he say if he saw Phoenix wearing a tailored Armani suit? He knew that Edgeworth had expensive, cultured tastes, so maybe…

"Well, let's go then," Maya proposed as she slipped the finished entry card into the drop box. "The Steel Samurai calls!"

Phoenix shook his head briskly, trying to clear his head of thoughts of the handsome prosecutor and his face of its blush before Pearl noticed.

* * *

Phoenix had been hoping that if he patched the hole in the elbow of his jacket no one would notice it until he was able to get himself a new one. True, his inexperienced repair job would never hold up under close scrutiny, but at least it looked alright from a distance. He should have known, however, that there was no chance of Edgeworth not noticing it. He had just entered the prosecutor's flamboyant maroon office for their scheduled meeting when Edgeworth had called him on his ragged attire.

"Wright," Edgeworth sighed, rubbing his temples as if to ward off a headache. "If you're going to come in here announcing yourself as my visitor to everyone you meet, the least you can do is dress appropriately."

Phoenix winced before he could stop himself. He hadn't even thought about it when he had been dressing that morning, but now it seemed obvious that Edgeworth would scorn his attempt to fix his suit. The condescending, thoroughly unimpressed look the prosecutor was giving him made Phoenix feel like a naughty grade school child being scolded by a disapproving teacher. Should he play the clueless card and act like he had no idea what Edgeworth was talking about? Somehow, he didn't think Edgeworth would be fooled, especially after his reaction just now. He decided to just acknowledge the problem.

"Sorry, I've been meaning to get a new suit but things are a bit tight this month," he admitted, his face coloring with shame.

Edgeworth approached him silently and, to Phoenix's shock, took his hand, lifting his arm slightly so that he could have a closer look at the patch job. He tsked quietly. "Did you have Maya's eight-year-old cousin fix this for you?" Edgeworth asked, looking torn between exasperation and mild amusement.

Phoenix's brain scrambled for a witty retort, but with Edgeworth so close, looking the epitome of cool and polished, still holding his hand, he drew a blank. All he could do was gape stupidly.

"Um…m-maybe?" was Phoenix's pathetic, stammered lie. He knew his face was burning and that there was no way Edgeworth was missing it from that proximity.

Edgeworth's smug smirk simply widened. "That was a weak bluff, Wright, even for you." He probably spoke those words in a completely normal manner, but to Phoenix's flustered mind, it sounded as if he'd purred them. The defense attorney swallowed hard and glanced at their still-joined hands. Edgeworth followed his gaze, and then, to Phoenix's immense surprise, cleared his throat in sudden embarrassment and pulled away.

"I…I apologize," he mumbled.

Phoenix was dumbfounded; was Edgeworth blushing now, too? The prosecutor hurriedly turned his back on him, so he couldn't be sure, but he thought he had seen a delicate flush on his cheeks that almost matched his own. An awkward silence hung between them as they both tried to regain their composure.

"Well, I was thinking maybe I'd go for an Armani next time," Phoenix tried, feeling that his voice and heart rate were now reasonably under control.

Edgeworth snorted derisively. "An Armani?" he repeated, facing him once more with his typical condescending smirk firmly back in place. "Forgive me if I find that a little bit hard to believe, especially since you just admitted that things were a bit tight for you this month."

"Hey, it could happen," Phoenix insisted with a foolish grin, thinking of the drawing he had entered.

"I would recommend not holding your breath," Edgeworth advised crisply. "Now if you're quite finished spouting your unlikely fantasies, we did have something to discuss."

"Oh, yeah," Phoenix remembered, removing the small sheaf of files from the folder he had brought with him. Even as the two of them began to discuss business, Phoenix couldn't help daydreaming about how stunned Edgeworth would be if he really did end up winning Lordly Tailor's drawing.

* * *

It was perhaps three weeks later when Phoenix received a letter from Lordly Tailor. By this time, he had all but forgotten about the drawing Maya had entered him in on a whim. Therefore, he was slightly puzzled when he pieced through his mail that day to find an envelope bearing Lordly Tailor's emblem. _Lordly Tailor… Wonder what they're writing to me for…_ He slit the envelope curiously and pulled out the letter.

_Dear Mr. Wright,_

_We at Lordly Tailor are pleased to inform you that you have been selected from our 200__th__ anniversary celebration drawing to receive the grand prize, a $5,000 shopping spree at our department store! Enclosed is your gift card, which you may use at any time, at our downtown Los Angeles location or at our online store. Simply present this card to pay for your purchases as you would a regular gift card. Congratulations! We hope to see you soon!_

Phoenix stared at the letter dazedly, hardly daring to believe what he had just read. Surely this was some kind of joke. True, he was prone to somewhat frequent strokes of amazing luck, but he had never had much success in the past when it came to drawings and lotteries. And it had just happened to come not long after he had realized that he was in desperate need of some new business attire. It was simply too lucky, even for him.

He plucked the gift card off of the bottom of the letter, peeling away the adhesive. It certainly looked official. Phoenix could feel the excitement bubbling up in his chest, but he refused to let it boil over until he was sure it was for real. Hurriedly, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the balance inquiry hotline number listed on the back of the card. The computerized female voice on the other end of the line confirmed that the card did indeed have a balance of $5,000. Phoenix's face split into a wide grin.

"Alright!!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "I won!! Maya, I won!!"

The victory couldn't have come at a better time; his fist-pump proved to be too much for his poor old suit. The sleeve split with a loud rip, leaving the garment completely out of commission.

* * *

Phoenix shifted nervously between the racks of expensive clothing. Even though he had the gift card safely tucked away in his wallet, he still felt like he didn't belong among the outrageously priced Prada and Gucci suits. To tell the truth, he was almost afraid to even touch them, as if his touch would somehow sully them beyond repair. But he needed a new suit in the worst way, and there was no way he was going to go for something cheap just because that's what he was used to wearing. If he wanted to impress Edgeworth, it would have to be something posh and foreign.

The Armani display caught his eye from across the room and he picked his way carefully through the other racks for a closer look. _Wow…$1,650, huh? _Phoenix marveled. _Never thought I'd be able to afford something so expensive. I wonder if what Maya said was true about people respecting me more if I wear a really nice suit…_ He selected two navy blue ones from the rack. _I might be giving up on the cheap stuff for a while, but I don't see any reason to give up my trademark blue._

After securing a pair of really chic, shiny black dress shoes and two red ties, Phoenix figured that his card would have a couple hundred dollars left on it. Now that he had everything he needed for work, he might as well find something to wear when he wasn't working. He wandered absentmindedly into the sleepwear section. His pajamas were in a state similar to his old suit; it was really time for a new pair of those as well. Phoenix was just considering a nice pale blue shirt and pants set when a flash of maroon caught his eye.

"No way…" Phoenix gasped. "Edgeworth?!"

Edgeworth jumped at the sound of Phoenix's voice, dropping the pair of fleecy pale pink pajamas he'd been holding as if they had burned him. When his gaze landed on Phoenix, Edgeworth's face went crimson.

"Wr-Wright!" he stammered, trying (and failing) to recover quickly from his shock. "What on earth are you doing here?!"

Phoenix could see Edgeworth trying to nudge the pink pajamas he had dropped under the clothes rack with his foot in hopes that Phoenix wouldn't notice. The defense attorney graced him with what could be very accurately described as a shit-eating grin. He held up one of his new suits to show the other man.

"Just a little shopping," Phoenix chirped. "I told you I'd go for Armani this time."

Edgeworth scowled and snatched up the sleeve of the proffered suit to examine the tag. Phoenix assumed he was checking to see that it really was Armani. "Isn't this a bit out of your price range, Wright?"

Phoenix shrugged. "I figure I can splurge once in a while." _I think I'll keep the fact that I can only afford this because I won that drawing to myself._

Edgeworth fixed him with a look that clearly said "I don't know what you're playing at, but I know you're up to something". Phoenix glanced down at the ground again, where Edgeworth was still trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to hide those pink pajamas with his foot. Now that he thought about it, the thought of Edgeworth wearing those… well, quite frankly, it was adorable.

Edgeworth noticed where Phoenix was looking and shuffled uneasily. Both of them were blushing at this point, though for different reasons. Figuring that there was no longer any reason to hide it now that Phoenix had clearly already seen, Edgeworth bent down and picked up the pajamas from the floor. He looked so embarrassed that Phoenix decided to have mercy on him and not to make the extraordinarily easy crack at his choice in sleepwear. Phoenix almost wanted to reach out to him and assure him that he didn't have to be so mortified; it wasn't like he planned on telling anyone about this. He knew that that would only embarrass Edgeworth more, however, so he opted to keep his hands to himself.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Edgeworth said, trying to sound as dignified as possible even though he was obviously feeling slightly humiliated. Before Phoenix could say another word, the prosecutor strode off to the dressing room. Phoenix stared after him for a second before picking the blue pajamas he had been considering off the rack and following him to the fitting room.

* * *

Phoenix surveyed himself in the mirror. Maybe he was just biased, but he had to admit that he looked pretty smokin' in this suit. He recalled his reflection in his old outfit and it suddenly dawned on him how shoddy and childish he must have looked in it. The Armani made it look like a gunny sack by comparison. He needed another person's opinion, though. Phoenix wanted to be sure that this really looked good on him before spending all that money. He opened the door, feeling a bit self conscious, and glanced across the way to the room Edgeworth had occupied. Phoenix could see his feet under the door. He knocked softly.

"Hey, Edgeworth," he called. "Can I get your opinion on this?"

He began to open the door.

"H-hold it, Wright!" Edgeworth squawked. "I'm not dressed!"

It was too late; Phoenix already had the door open. Edgeworth was standing there in his pale pink fleece pajamas, his face as red as a tomato. Phoenix could feel himself reddening, too. His friend looked just as cute in those effeminate clothes as he had imagined. Actually, maybe he even looked better than Phoenix had been expecting. He cleared his throat before attempting speech.

"Hey, uh… th-those look pretty good on you," Phoenix admitted.

Edgeworth grabbed his left arm compulsively, averting his eyes to the floor. "What did you need my opinion on, Wright?"

"Oh, yeah…uh, does… does this look ok?"

Edgeworth looked him over, his eyes scanning him closely, checking the fit. He twirled his finger to indicate that he wanted to see the back.

"Hmm…" Edgeworth hummed thoughtfully. "I never thought I'd say this, Wright, but perhaps you're not a completely hopeless case."

"You like it, then?" Phoenix blurted.

"Er…Well, yes," Edgeworth relented. "I… I suppose that would be a safe assumption to make."

The defense attorney flashed him a smile that made Edgeworth's heart skip a beat. The effect of his normal attire somewhat undermined Phoenix's natural good looks, but when he was dressed so sharply it was obvious that he was quite handsome. The navy suit brought out the blue in his eyes stunningly. Not that he would ever admit these things to Phoenix.

"Thanks," Phoenix grinned, rubbing the back of his neck in mild embarrassment.

"Don't get too cocky, Wright," Edgeworth cut in snootily, trying to regain a shred of his usual dignity. "An Armani suit could make even a boulder look dashing."

Phoenix's features fell into a childish pout. "Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

God, that expression might cancel out the more mature visage that the tailored suit gave him, but even that was adorable. Edgeworth could feel his heart pounding uncontrollably. After a moment, Phoenix's frown became thoughtful.

"You know, Edgeworth, I don't think those pajamas fit you quite right," he mused.

Edgeworth went red again. He had been so busy mooning over Phoenix in that suit that he had briefly forgotten his own humiliating attire.

"See," he took Edgeworth by the shoulders and turned him toward the mirror, "it sort of pulls right here."

Edgeworth let out a little shiver as Phoenix ran his finger lightly down his spine between his shoulder blades.

"Maybe you need a bigger size," he suggested. "You've got such nice, broad shoulders…"

All Edgeworth could do was stare at their reflection in stunned silence as Phoenix's warm, strong hands began rubbing his shoulders. He knew he should snap at him not to touch him, that he should kick the defense attorney out of his dressing room, but his voice refused to make a sound. It occurred to him vaguely that maybe his inability to raise an objection to Phoenix's touch was because he liked it.

And was it his imagination or was Phoenix's face drawing closer ever so slowly? Yes, Phoenix was definitely closing in. He couldn't remember the last time his heart had pounded so hard. It almost hurt, and yet he found himself not wanting this feeling to stop. Edgeworth was torn between wanting to lean forward to meet him and wanting to just stay still and watch his approach. Unfortunately, before Edgeworth could make up his mind, Phoenix seemed to realize what he was doing and jerked away as if he had been electrocuted, his face burning brightly.

"Ah ha ha," Phoenix laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I'll, um… I'll go get you another size, ok?"

With that, he dashed out of the dressing room, leaving Edgeworth to curse the loss of an opportunity that before that moment he hadn't even been fully aware that he wanted.

* * *

It took Phoenix a few minutes to return. He had just been wondering if maybe Phoenix had forgotten about him when there was a light tap on the door. Phoenix let himself in, though Edgeworth noticed that he was keeping his eyes fixed stubbornly on the ground as if he didn't trust himself to meet his gaze.

"W-well, I couldn't find a bigger size in the ones you liked," he mumbled. "But I found these…"

Phoenix held up a pair of black silk pajamas with wine-colored trim around the collar, cuffs and around the hems of the legs. Edgeworth considered them. The color scheme was a little bit understated for his usual tastes, but there was something elegant about them. Of course, the fact that Phoenix had picked them out for him didn't hurt either. Edgeworth accepted them.

"You had a pair, too, didn't you Wright?" the prosecutor recalled, folding his arms defensively.

"Huh? Oh, well… yeah," Phoenix admitted.

"Put them on, then," Edgeworth ordered. "It's only fair."

"Heh… I guess you're right," he agreed apprehensively. Phoenix retreated back into his own dressing room.

* * *

This time, it was Edgeworth who finished dressing first. He rapped on Phoenix's dressing room door.

"Are you decent, Wright?" he asked.

"J-just a minute," Phoenix called.

Edgeworth smirked when he saw Phoenix scrambling to pull up the pajama pants through the gap under the door. After a moment, Phoenix opened the door, looking flushed and slightly breathless. Edgeworth viewed Phoenix with an appraising eye. He no longer had the polished, mature, businesslike appearance he had while wearing that fancy tailored suit, yet this was good enough that Edgeworth couldn't bring himself to miss it. To be honest, the defense attorney looked completely adorable in those slightly loose sky blue pajamas.

Phoenix, coincidentally, was having eerily similar thoughts about Edgeworth. He was used to seeing his rival-turned-love-interest in that somewhat flashy maroon suit, and of course he looked absolutely dazzling in it, but Phoenix found that the more modest color didn't detract from his appearance at all. As an ex-art student, Phoenix knew how to appreciate subtlety so the refined beauty of Edgeworth in black silk was not wasted on him. An unbidden fantasy slipped across his consciousness; thoughts of waking up next to Edgeworth wearing those silky pajamas, the normally immaculately groomed prosecutor tousle-haired, yawning and still half asleep.

"Although it pains me to admit it, Wright, perhaps you're not as fashion-impaired as I originally thought," Edgeworth said huskily. "Those certainly suit you."

Phoenix looked down at himself. "You think so?" he asked, trying not to look overly pleased by the unusual praise, though he was deeply flattered. His unsuccessful efforts hide this fact caused Edgeworth to have to hide a small smile behind his hand. "What do you think of yours?"

"They're growing on me," he confessed.

"That's good," Phoenix replied, looking relieved. "When I gave them to you, I couldn't tell if you liked them or not. I love the way silk feels, though…"

Edgeworth could see Phoenix's fingers twitching as though he longed to reach out and touch him, but didn't dare after what almost happened last time. It was obvious from the pained look in his eyes that Phoenix was under the impression that the feelings he had almost acted on could never be reciprocated. He feared that if he slipped up like that again, Edgeworth would get angry and the relationship that they were finally starting to build up after so many years of being absent from each other's lives would be ruined. How very wrong he was.

Now that he was certain of Phoenix's feelings, Edgeworth found that he had far less difficulty finding the courage to give Phoenix a little encouragement. This reassurance didn't stop his heart from pounding, however, as he steeled himself for what he was about to do. Edgeworth took Phoenix's trembling hands and guided them to his waist, inviting him to experience the feeling of expensive silk beneath his fingers. Phoenix's expressive blue eyes snapped onto his, uncertain but hopeful, silently looking to confirm that Edgeworth's action meant what he thought it did. Edgeworth gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. The defense attorney's adams apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly and slowly drew the other man closer.

If Edgeworth hadn't been so preoccupied by Phoenix's pleasantly gentle touch, he would have found the flush on his cheeks and nervous yet determined demeanor completely endearing. Although Edgeworth had never imagined that he might actually have this sort of encounter with Phoenix Wright beyond his dreams, this was exactly what he had imagined that it would be like; hesitant, shy, and sweet.

Their noses were brushing now; Phoenix was giving him plenty of time to pull away if this wasn't what he wanted. Realizing that a little more encouragement was needed, Edgeworth leaned in just a fraction of an inch more, allowing their lips to touch ever so lightly. This turned out to be all the reassurance Phoenix needed. His sapphire eyes fluttered closed as he scrambled to meet Edgeworth's mouth eagerly, landing a little off center in his haste. Edgeworth adjusted in order to correct this, taking Phoenix's soft, full lower lip into his mouth with relish. After a moment, Phoenix's tongue politely requested entrance into his mouth and Edgeworth granted it without hesitation.

By the time they separated, both of them were in an endorphin induced haze, panting slightly, still holding each other. Phoenix rested his forehead against Edgeworth's, treating him to a series of light staccato kisses even as he was still trying to catch his breath. The prosecutor returned them without complaint. They had no need for words at that moment. Each knew what those kisses meant; they held the same meaning for both of them: _I've wanted this for so long…_

"Wright…" Edgeworth breathed. "Forgive me if this is too forward but… how would you feel about continuing this at my apartment? Perhaps we could, ah, test out our purchases."

Phoenix's face broke into an absolutely breathtaking smile, and Edgeworth was so taken with it that he couldn't resist kissing him again.

"I'd love to," Phoenix answered softly.


End file.
